Beware Googling airline phone numbers because scam travel agencies have corrupted the results. You call thinking you’re reaching your airline, but the person on the other end charges you for changes you are entitled to for free – like a new flight when yours is cancelled, or seat assignments.
Here’s someone whose 17 year old son’s American Airlines flight was cancelled. They called who they thought was American Airlines, “and ended up paying $250 more for the ticket home.”
I’m on the phone now (on hold) with American and the next available flight they can get him is with Delta tomorrow, where does he stay for the night, will they provide lodging? He’s 17, in Boston. Thanks for any info!
Update, we got him a ticket home for tomorrow and the college where he was doing a summer music program has approved his stay there for an additional night. I messed up in my panic and thought I was calling American Airlines, and instead called a third party reservation company that was presenting themselves as American and ended up paying $250 more for the ticket home. I double checked with Delta and the ticket is legit. Thanks for help and suggestions!
I’ve written about scammers taking over an old Singapore Airlines phone number and pretending to be Singapore Airlines when customers call. The scammers charge high fees for basic services the airline would normally provide for free.
Meanwhile, a former boss of mine got scammed by a phone number for Delta provided to her by her travel agency. The agents pretending to be Delta charged her $1,000 to move her and her granddaughter to flights the next day when their original itinerary was cancelled. (Delta Air Lines shockingly covered the cost after 9 months.)
Scam travel agencies buying Google ads to appear that you’ve found the airline’s phone number. They’re doing this with United Airlines, JetBlue, Hawaiian and others. You get connected to an agency with a one star and an F rating from the Better Business Bureau.
It turns out there’s another variation on this scam: the agency gets Google’s search results for the airline at a specific airport changed to display their phone number. You think you’re calling your airline’s “JFK” number but it’s the same agency scam.
Do not trust Google search results for airline phone numbers. You need to go to the airline’s website itself and look up their number.